The Qianqing Palace.
"I wonder what is troubling His Majesty?" Song Yue asked, bowing his head as he addressed Emperor Zhu Rui.
“Sit,” Zhu Rui gestured to the chair beside him and said, “I’m telling you, only you can help me with this.”
Only after Zhu Rui explained did Song Yue realize what had happened.
The Duke of Dingguo had a youngest son named He Ying, who served as a principal clerk in the Ministry of Revenue, in charge of money, grain, and taxes. He was quite talented in arithmetic and bookkeeping, and was very proficient in these areas. A couple of days ago, while reviewing last year's old accounts, he discovered some problems in several ledgers, problems that would not be easily noticed by ordinary people.
After some investigation, he discovered that someone had falsified the accounts, and the tax revenue deposited into the national treasury was far less than what was recorded in the books. Clearly, someone was embezzling a considerable sum, amounting to 30,000 taels of silver.
When the national treasury was empty, they couldn't even come up with three thousand taels of silver to repair a dike. Yet here, someone had embezzled thirty thousand taels. The upright He Ying immediately reported this to his superior, a physician surnamed Zheng. Physician Zheng agreed to handle the matter and instructed He Ying not to pursue it further or mention it to anyone else.
However, He Ying waited for two months without receiving any news related to this matter. The false accounts were not reported to the cabinet, and the corrupt officials who embezzled public funds and harmed the Ming Dynasty were not exposed.
So he went to see Physician Zheng again to inquire about the progress of the matter, unwilling to let it end like this. This time, Physician Zheng was very impatient. He was too lazy to make any more excuses for this young master of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion who kept pressing him for answers, and just gave him a few perfunctory words before sending him away.
He Ying finally understood. Given this person's status, the matter he wanted to investigate would not have ended up like this, unless he never intended to do it in the first place.
This doctor surnamed Zheng is named Zheng Hong, who is the younger brother of Consort Zheng and the emperor's brother-in-law of the Ming Dynasty.
He Ying was an upright and honest man. Knowing that this man was unreliable, he wanted to retrieve the account books, bypass him, and report to his superiors. However, Zheng Hong disagreed with returning the account books.
This led to an argument between the two, which escalated into a physical fight over the account books. One was from the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, and the other was the emperor's brother-in-law; both were of high status and hot-blooded, neither willing to back down, resulting in a serious physical altercation. Zheng Hong stabbed He Ying in the arm with scissors used for trimming lamp wicks, but Zheng Hong himself, suffering from chest pain due to years of taking aphrodisiacs, suddenly died from a heart attack.
This incident was an accident for both of them. However, given the current state of the court and the chaotic state of officialdom, it was not an accident. The emperor holds the power of the monarch, and the chief minister holds the power of the prime minister. With both of these powerful figures indulging themselves in such a way, in a court where the atmosphere is deteriorating, misfortune was bound to happen sooner or later.
"Consort Zheng demanded an explanation from me and cried all day. I really couldn't do anything. Although He Ying didn't kill Zheng Hong, Zheng Hong still died because of him." Zhu Rui rested his chin on his hand, his face slightly red and swollen from the steam from the floor heater. "Go find the Duke of Dingguo and tell him to hand over his son. It's inconvenient for me to get involved in this matter..."
Knowing he couldn't hide anything from this capable person who was going to do things for him, Zhu Rui told Song Yue the whole story.
The 30,000 taels of embezzlement that He Ying discovered was precisely what Zheng Hong had embezzled. Aside from some of the money going into Zheng Hong's own pocket, the majority of it was actually used by Zheng Hong to do favors for Zhu Rui—buying medicine.
This medicine was no ordinary medicine; it was a precious aphrodisiac. Zhu Rui's ability to enjoy nightly intimacy with his concubines these days was thanks to these medicines. Zheng Hong himself also took aphrodisiacs, and Zhu Rui had only decided to have him obtain the medicine because he had heard from Consort Zheng that her younger brother was vigorous and virile.
Logically, everything in the world belongs to the emperor, and the emperor should spend money, so there's no need for this. However, because the national treasury is indeed empty this year, there isn't even enough money to repair the dikes. In addition, the money is being spent on shady matters. Zhu Rui is extremely concerned about his reputation and fears being criticized by his ministers and losing face, so he can only rely on Zheng Hong to handle these matters.
Now that Zheng Hong is dead, Consort Zheng wants to seek justice for her younger brother. In a sense, Zheng Hong died while working for him, so Zhu Rui cannot leave her without an explanation. However, he still dares not directly order the Duke of Dingguo to arrest him. Because if the matter escalates, everyone will inevitably know that His Majesty the Emperor embezzled national treasury funds and used them to buy aphrodisiacs—a truly disgraceful reputation.
Back then, Shen Qingchen had offered him strategies for flood control and helped him win 20,000 warhorses from the Chagatai Khanate. Zhu Rui was even complacent about getting closer to the prestigious title of "wise ruler" and had a false sense of accomplishment, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Now, how could he let Zheng Hong's death bring him back to reality? That's why he urgently needed someone to help him resolve this matter.
"First, he is a veteran minister and the most trusted minister of the late emperor, who risked his life for him several times. I have had many interactions with his sons since I was a child, and there is always some affection between us, so it is not convenient to make things awkward."
The issue of saving face was the biggest problem, but Zhu Rui was, after all, the emperor, and he still wanted to save face in front of his subject Song Yue. So he found two good reasons for himself: "Secondly, as you know, the Gu family's affairs have recently caused quite a stir in the court. I don't want to create any more turmoil in the court and shake the foundation. Therefore, you need to persuade the Duke of Dingguo about this matter."
Zhu Rui hoped to secretly resolve the matter with He Ying to give Consort Zheng an explanation, while also hoping that the Duke of Dingguo would not cause trouble. This was indeed a very thorny issue, because no father would willingly send his son to his death. Zhu Rui originally wanted to ask Xu Yan for help, but Xu Yan had already received word from Consort Zheng, feigned illness in advance, and conveniently passed the matter on to Song Yue. Zhu Rui thought about it, and it seemed that only Song Yue was truly capable of resolving such a matter.
"You became the second-highest scholar in the imperial examination at the age of seventeen, making you the youngest Grand Secretary in the history of our Great Ming Dynasty. In addition, the Duke of Dingguo intends to arrange a marriage between you and his family. It is most appropriate for you to take charge of this matter. I believe that you will be able to solve my problems and demonstrate your loyalty to the emperor and your patriotism."
Standing with his head bowed below the steps of the Emperor's palace, Song Yue's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
The smoke from the incense burner rose and spread throughout the room, making the emperor's face appear somewhat blurry.
This was a death warrant. He ordered him to act as an intermediary, to persuade a father to send his son to his death.
After a long pause, Zhu Rui yawned, rubbed his eyes, and said again, "If you can't handle this matter, you will have no place in the cabinet in the future."
Song Yue raised his head and looked at the emperor, who was blatantly threatening him.
Xu Yan fell ill, and quite coincidentally. Whether it was a real illness or a feigned one, Xu Yan could have fallen ill, but he himself could not.
Even if he was truly ill, he had to get up and continue serving the emperor and the court. Because he was not yet the Grand Secretary. It would be presumptuous for someone who wasn't the Grand Secretary to talk about cleaning up officialdom and breaking with the old ways to establish the new.
"My lord, I obey the order."
Zhu Rui smiled. "Very good. I knew you wouldn't let me down."
After finishing his duties, Song Yue returned home by carriage.
Under the low-hanging night sky and in the chilly wind, the carriage rumbled along, only to be stopped halfway. The driver handed over a slip of paper, which Song Yue unfolded and glanced at before getting out of the carriage and walking into a nearby alley.
The alley was deserted, quiet and desolate in the sparsely starred and dimly lit night. An ordinary-looking carriage was already parked inside, with a sheep horn lamp hanging from it, emitting a faint glow.
Song Yue paused for a moment at the entrance of the alley, adjusted the black satin cloak behind him, and walked towards the carriage.
A burly man dressed like a close attendant approached him and gestured towards the carriage, saying, "My master is inside the carriage, please, Your Excellency."
He then retreated ten steps away.
The person inside the carriage lifted the curtain, revealing slender, delicate fingers. Behind the curtain was a refined and beautiful face, with soft fur wrapped around her neck. Her almond-shaped eyes were slightly upturned at the corners, exuding an air of pampered nobility in her half-smile. A fragrant aroma wafted out as the curtain was drawn back.
"Your Highness, Imperial Concubine." Standing beside the carriage, Song Yue nodded slightly to her.
Consort Zheng smiled, her rosy lips glistening slightly under the lamplight, her eyes sparkling with an innate charm that could easily bewitch people. "Grand Secretary Song, please forgive me for stopping your carriage."
She didn't look like she was grieving the loss of her brother at all.
Song Yue had never met her privately before. It was already late and there was no one around, so he didn't want to say much to her. He simply asked respectfully, "Your Highness, what brings you to my carriage?"
Consort Zheng lifted the carriage curtain a little with her jade fingers and said, "It's cold outside, but there's a stove in the carriage. Grand Secretary, please come in and we'll talk together."
Song Yue was handsome and radiant, with an extraordinary air about her. It would be a lie to say that she, a young woman not yet thirty, was not attracted to him. However, due to their social status, they didn't have many opportunities to meet and didn't have much contact.
She sought him out today not only because she had important business to attend to, but also because it would be a good opportunity for her to get closer to him and soothe her loneliness, which she had endured for so many years in the deep palace.
"No need," he replied calmly. "A cooler climate helps people stay clear-headed. Only then can I properly consider Her Highness's next instructions."
"What a clever person you are." She smiled and withdrew her hand from lifting the curtain for him. "Then I won't force you."
Handsome, intelligent, refined, and with that aloof and ascetic air… she liked this kind of person the most. But she wasn't in a hurry; there would be many more opportunities in the future.
"Your Majesty, please speak."
“I know the Emperor has made things difficult for you because of my brother’s matter.” She raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at her with a wistful gaze, and said with her red lips parted slightly, “Do you know that I have been worried about you ever since I heard the news? That’s why I rushed out of the palace to find you. I’ve come to relieve your worries.”
"Oh?" came a flat, emotionless reply.
“I can give up He Ying’s life. As long as you promise me to become my person and help my son ascend the throne.” She paused, then continued, “If you are willing… I can be yours too.”
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